Child rapist subjected victim to '20 years of
sexual and mental torture'
Declan Brennan
The victim of a child rapist has told a court how the man subjected him to 12 years of sexual and mental torture.
Croaghaun Cliffs, County Mayo, Ireland
The Mayo resident pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to 20 counts of oral and anal rape of the boy between August 1997 and and April 2008.
He also pleaded guilty to eleven counts of raping his own daughter. These attacks began in mid 2007 and continued regularly for two years.
The man cannot be named to protect the identity of the victims. The court heard that rumours in the local rural community have resulted in his complete ostracism and he appeared in court without any support. After hearing the facts in the case Mr Justice Tony Hunt adjourned sentencing to December to allow time for the defence to obtain a medical report.
The court heard that the first victim had a fractured family home life. The accused was a friend of the boy's stepfather and took the ten year old boy under his wing and told him how “special he was”. In his victim impact report the man, now aged 31, said this meant so much to him as a boy as he had no other father figure in his life.
He said he was oblivious to the man's real motives and said the accused was very cunning and devious in his grooming.
The first oral rape attack took place on a fishing trip in remote Mayo and the victim said that at the time he felt numb, sick, scared and alone and lonely.
The rapes, including anal rape, continued on a twice weekly basis up into the victim's 20s. In his mid-teens the victim moved in with his abuser because his family life had become so cruel and neglectful with no food in the house or clothing on his back. The court heard he felt he had no other choice but to move in with the accused and he convinced himself that the abuse would stop.
At the age of 20 the man said he still felt like a scared 10 year old boy and was like a “beaten down dog”. “He made me believe I was worthless and he was the only one who cared about me,” he said. He was 22 when the abuse stopped, after 12 years of "sexual and mental torture.”
The man's daughter was aged 14 when he first raped her. He accused her of lying to him and took her for a walk along a golf course.
When they reached some sand dunes he told her “I'm going to f*** you for lying” and told her to get down on the ground and raped her. The woman later told investigators that she was “scared sh**less”. The rapes continued on a weekly basis and became “like a routine” for her. The court heard the man had total physical and mental control over his daughter and told her who she could meet with or speak to.
The man would only have to say he was “feeling stressed” for the victim to know he was going to rape her. In her victim impact report the woman said she was terrified of her father.
She said her father would threaten her and once told her he would kill her. She was too scared to go to sleep because she would suffer night terrors and dream of the abuse. She said she used to self-harm to deal with the effects of the abuse and later turned to misuse of alcohol and drugs. She said she was terrified to get counselling and didn't want to relive the abuse and didn't think it would help.
“I don't care for my life. I want to die most days. I feel so broke inside,” she said.
She said she could “not stand” men and believed that there was something inside every man that made him capable of rape. She said she freaks out at the prospect of sex in a relationship.
The male victim said he felt nothing but hatred and disgust for his abuser and also for himself for not speaking up. He said by his actions the man was a “manipulative paedophile” who had stolen his self worth and his “very being”. “The damage this animal has inflicted on my mental health will last to my dying breath. I don't know who I am,” he said. He said he has battled suicide and left his own children with a father “incapable of compassion”.
After his arrest the man initially claimed he was in a relationship with the male victim. The court heard this was untrue and the man accepted to gardaí that none of what he did could be justified or right. He said he was grateful the victims had come forward because he couldn't live with the guilt.
“I'm sorry. I feel complete hatred for myself,” he said. He claimed he was the victim of child sex abuse himself.
Mr Justice Hunt said that even with all the help in the world, the man's action had changed the course of his victims' lives “for the worse”. But he said that he had saved himself a life sentence by pleading guilty to the offences.
County Mayo, Ireland
Gloucestershire police officer criticised for his handling of a child sex abuse case has been promoted
And another officer involved in the case has been allowed to re-join the force, having previously retired from it, despite being accused of gross misconduct.
The information was revealed by Heidi Clutterbuck, who was abused between the age of six and 10 by her brother - the late Tewkesbury man James Guthrie.
She initially reported the matter to West Mercia Police in 2013, after Guthrie had died, and it was later investigated by Gloucestershire police. The latter constabulary has just been heavily criticised for failing Heidi in the way it handled the case.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission rapped the force over the knuckles for its failures, saying that two officers had a case to answer - one for misconduct and one for gross misconduct. A third was found to have no case to answer. The watchdog made recommendations about the way such cases are dealt with nationally in the future.
The report said: "Five allegations of dishonesty on the part of Officer 2 were also investigated. The Lead Investigator concluded that there would have been a case to answer for gross misconduct for them in respect of one of those allegations, had they still been a serving officer. Officer 2 had retired during the latter stages of Operation Larkspur."
"Police have failed me"
Mrs Clutterbuck was not named by the IPCC in its report about its Operation Larkspur investigation but has now waived her right to be anonymous.
The 45-year-old, who lives near Tewkesbury, said the fact that two out of the three officers criticised by the IPCC still worked for Gloucestershire police compounded her massive disappointment with it.
Heidi Clutterbuck
She said: “Gloucestershire Police have failed me on many occasions with their lack of empathy, knowledge and skill. I see no accountability, ownership or learning and fear gravely for the victims in their force area.
“The re-employment and promotion of officers with such appalling standards illustrates their inability to improve and change. I see a force in crisis.”
She said she was not surprised that it had been revealed this month that the force was the third most complained about in the UK and claimed: “It is one of the smallest forces but has the biggest issues.”
Mrs Clutterbuck added: “Strangely I have a debt of gratitude to Gloucestershire police. Being so appalling at its job, failing me on so many occasions, treating me with utter disregard and unimportance, silencing me and keeping me locked in the shadows pushed me to braver than I ever thought I was capable of. I have found my strength and will continue to challenge and hold to account.”
She also said: “The lead investigator from Operation Larkspur has contacted Gloucestershire police to highlight her concerns the original criminal allegations have never been fully investigated. In the course of her investigation, grave concerns were raised for other victims and the reality James Guthrie may not have acted alone. The potential is that other accomplices may still be alive and offending to this day.
“There are five known victims to date and there are concerns about his ability to evade justice even though it has been repeatedly highlighted to the police.”
"Police accepted findings"
Gloucestershire police this week fully accepted the IPCC findings and admitted it did not provide the support Mrs Clutterbuck required or take the appropriate measures in her case.
Gloucestershire Constabulary Police Headquarters, Waterwells
In response to her revelation about the officers, a force spokesman said: “We can confirm Officer 2 retired during the Larkspur investigation as he had completed 30 years of service. At the time, circumstances were reviewed and a decision was made to allow him to retire. Of note is the fact that he was found to have no case to answer by the IPCC for the original allegation against him.
“The IPCC report stated that Officer 2 had a case to answer for gross misconduct over an allegation of dishonesty in relation to a connected matter. It was the responsibility of the constabulary’s appropriate authority, an independent high ranking officer, to decide if his actions amounted to gross misconduct.
Senior detective is renewing allegations
“It was their decision that the evidence did not justify this. As such, Officer 2 was not put on the disapproved register and was free to apply for jobs advertised externally. Officer 2 did so, was interviewed in a fair and transparent way, vetted to the appropriate standard and employed by the constabulary.
“We can confirm that a senior detective is reviewing the allegations made by Mrs A (Heidi) in 2013 to determine if a new investigation should be launched.”
In relation to the promoted officer, the spokesman said: “He was found to have a case to answer for misconduct (a lesser ‘charge’ than gross misconduct) and in reaction to this he was given management advice. He was promoted during the investigation and remains at that promoted level.”
Heath's godson calls for review of 'paedophile' inquiry
THE godson of Sir Edward Heath has called for an official inquiry into police handling of child sex abuse allegations against the former prime minister.
Lincoln Seligman said he believes there were serious flaws in Operation Conifer, which has investigated claims against the former Conservative leader for the past two years.
He spoke as reports at the weekend claimed Wiltshire Police, which conducted the £1.5 million investigation, believed it would have had enough grounds to interview the late politician under caution if he was still alive.
Mr Seligman, an artist who knew Sir Edward for more than 50 years from childhood, said Wiltshire chief constable Mike Veale was "acting as judge and jury and has already convicted the man".
Mr Seligman told the Press Association: "My suspicion is that we will learn nothing from the report except innuendo and that really takes nobody any further forward, except it leaves a dark stain over a man who can't defend himself. What we are looking for is a judge-led review of a: how the police have conducted Operation Conifer and b: all the evidence it has produced. We want a judge to look at that who will be independent and impartial and to me that is the opposite of cover-up, because we want the truth and we believe the truth will exonerate him (Sir Edward)."
Sir Edward, who led the Conservative government from 1970 to 1974, stepped down as an MP at the 2001 general election and died at home in Salisbury in July 2005, aged 89.
Operation Conifer was launched in 2015 after he was named as a suspect in an investigation into historical child sex abuse. Wiltshire Police will make public on October 5 the "summary closure report" of its inquiry into Sir Edward. The findings will be passed to the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse, which is being chaired by Professor Alexis Jay.
Last year, the probe found no evidence that a prosecution against a brothel keeper was dropped because of threats to allege publicly that Sir Edward had been involved in sexual offences.
In November a report by Dr Rachel Hoskins, who was enlisted by detectives to examine Op Conifer evidence, was revealed. Writing in The Mail On Sunday in November, she said she had "exposed a catalogue of fabrication" at the heart of the probe and warned the force it should immediately end its investigation into a key accuser's "pernicious" claims of satanic ritual abuse.
The leading criminologist also branded the inquiry "a disgrace" and said that, while the force had accepted her report, she had "little confidence" police would pass the findings on to MPs.
On Sunday, the same paper reported that claims against Sir Edward include allegations of sexual assault on boys aged as young as 11, including a rape, which would have been enough to have him arrested and interviewed.
In September Mr Veale said Operation Conifer had "followed and complied with national guidance from the outset and throughout" and urged people not to speculate about the report's findings.
Mr Seligman, whose father was a university friend of Sir Edward's, said he had been prevented by police from attending the report's release on Thursday. He added: "I'm not naive about these things. I think it would have been so difficult for him to hide anything, because he was constantly surrounded by protection officers, secretaries, his general household, that he just wouldn't have had the opportunity. "But quite honestly, me protesting his innocence is not as important as putting right the injustice that has been done, in my view."
He compared Conifer to Operation Midland, which investigated claims of a paedophile ring among MPs but was later discredited.
He said: "I think the Conifer inquiry must have begun before Midland ended but they seem to have learned nothing about being credulous when it comes to stories from seriously unbalanced people."
Can British police survive another scandal like Operation Midland? What will it do to affect attitudes toward investigating VIPs in the future?
Wiltshire, UK
Man avoids jail after live-streaming
sex abuse of 4 y/o
By: Adam Flinnon
A man who watched a four-year-old girl being sexually abused online as it was streamed live to a global audience has escaped jail.
Gareth Gascoigne-Leopold, of Rectory Lane in Tadley, was given a five year prison sentence, suspended for two years, at Lewes Crown Court on Friday.
The 35-year-old was one of six people from the UK to watch the abuse in December 2015, broadcast via an online video streaming forum.
He was also given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, and ordered to attend a rehabilitation course and get internet sex offender’s treatment.
The girl, who is from Denmark, has since been identified and is being safeguarded by the authorities.
Gascoigne-Leopold’s arrest is part of a wider investigation being carried out by the National Crime Agency (NCA) into the streaming of child sexual abuse.
He was arrested at Gatwick airport having travelled back from Spain in December 2016, and charged with four offences on July 4 this year.
These were intentionally encouraging and/or assisting the commission of an offence, possessing an extreme pornographic image, possessing an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph, and possessing a prohibited image of a child.
Graham Ellis, from the NCA’s child exploitation and online protection command, said: “The abuse this little girl suffered was unimaginable. That it was also streamed live around the world makes it even more horrific.
“The individuals who were logged into the forum to watch this abuse thought they would remain anonymous, but they thought wrong – there is no hiding place. “Using all the powers and means available to us, we will identify and locate those who seek to exploit children for their own sexual pleasure and bring them to justice.”
The other five people from the UK identified at the same time as Gascoigne-Leopold have all been arrested, and are at various stages of the justice system.
Police officer, 39, jailed after accessing online images and videos of child rape and torture
by Alistair Grant
A paedophile police officer has been jailed after accessing online images of child sex abuse.
David Reilly, 39, viewed pictures and films of children being sexually assaulted for more than six years while serving in the Ministry of Defence police force. Much of the material was classified as Category A, covering the most extreme type of images, including child rape and torture.
He was caught late last year and last week a judge jailed him for 12 months, adding: “You actively accessed images involving children in young age groups of the worst possible type.”
Reilly, from Kilmarnock, served with Strathclyde Police before later moving to the Ministry of Defence Police, who guard the nuclear submarine facility at Faslane.
He sought out the material from other paedophiles in internet chat rooms.
Social workers condemned Reilly’s attitude and lack of insight into his crimes – with his own defence lawyer admitting his client “lost his temper with them”.
Their report to the court was so critical Sheriff Alistair Watson said he was “quite taken aback” when he read it. They raised concerns about the dad’s family and young child, but the former police officer insisted his interest was “confined entirely” to the online world.
He also initially claimed he didn’t get sexual gratification from the images he viewed, but admitted in court this was not true. Defence lawyer Greg Farrell said his client had not been “entirely forthcoming” with social workers, and “accepts that he was defensive”, adding: “He became, on at least one occasion, hostile.”
Mr Farrell said Reilly’s police officer wife was standing by him, adding: “When he says that his family support him, he is at pains to point out that that does not mean in any way that they condone his behaviour. “Far from it. They are appalled and shocked at his behaviour.”
He said Reilly would never again hold the responsibility and trust he once had, with the former police officer describing his own behaviour as “vile”, “dreadful” and “appalling”.
Reilly initially began viewing the images “as a result of incidents that happened to him when he was a young child”, but accepted it went beyond this and he became addicted. Alcohol had also played a part as a “disinhibitor”.
The court heard Reilly has since suffered from depression and has been involved with Stop it Now, a charity which works to prevent child sexual abuse.
His lawyer added: “Mr Reilly is under no illusions about the gravity of the situation in which he finds himself. He asks that the court consider the alternative (to prison), no more than that – because he does not seek in any way to diminish the seriousness of these offences.”
Jailing him, Sheriff Watson said: “The images you had were high in number, and quite a significant number fell into Category A – the most heinous category.” He added there was “a lack of insight” shown in Reilly’s social work report, adding: “You make it difficult for me to give you much credit for remorse.” But he said Reilly had taken “meaningful” steps towards addressing his behaviour.
The former police officer was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years, with his 18-month jail sentence reduced to 12 months due to an early admission of guilt.
Reilly resigned from the Ministry of Defence after first being suspended by the force when the allegations came to light.
A spokesman for the MoD said: “The Ministry of Defence Police expects all its officers to uphold the highest standards of behaviour and integrity at all times. “We take a zero tolerance approach to criminal behaviour like this and will always deal with such allegations robustly.
“This officer is no longer serving with the force.”
Sadistic Wirral paedophile jailed for 19 years after vile sexual abuse of two young girls
Lynda Roughley
A sadistic paedophile who repeatedly raped a young girl and tried to rent her to his friends for sex was today jailed for 19 years.
68-year-old Glyn Thomas, who also sexually abused a second girl, was told by a judge that it would be up to the Parole Board when he is considered safe to be released.
During his trial at Liverpool Crown Court a jury heard that Thomas, of Bromsgrove Road, Greasby, battered the rape victim if she refused his sick demands and also inflicted pain on her for his twisted pleasure.
He molested the second victim pretending he was checking her breasts for cancer.
Jailing him Judge Alan Conrad, QC, said that while his abuse of the second girl was bad enough, the abuse of the other child was far worse. “Your conduct as far as she was concerned was truly horrifying. You used your forceful and domineering personality to get what you wanted.”
Judge Conrad said that he also used items to inflict pain on her “for your perverted gratification. You even contemplated renting her out for sexual activity with your friends - a suggestion which proved to be the last straw for her. Not surprisingly she has been seriously damaged by what you did to her.”
Both victims, now adult women, did not know the other had been abused when they finally told police about their horrific experiences in late 2015. The judge said both victims had shown great courage in coming forward and pointed out that Thomas, who showed no emotion in the dock, had shown no compassion to either of them. “There is no regret or remorse for what you have done. Indeed you sought to present yourself as a victim,” added Judge Conrad.
Thomas had been convicted after a trial of 24 offences against the first victim involving 11 of rape, six of of indecent assault, five of sexual assault and two of causing a child to engage in sexual activity. He was also convicted of two offences of indecent assault and one of sexual assault involving the second woman.
During his trial - after which he was convicted by a majority of ten to two following seven hours of deliberations - David Potter, prosecuting, told the jury the first woman brought the abuse to an end because Thomas “was trying to pass her onto his friends to abuse sexually.”
She approached police in November 2015 and said she was “petrified” of Thomas and had been manipulated into performing sex acts. Mr Potter said when she finally said "no" the woman was “battered” by the defendant. “He punched her to the back of the head and she went to the floor. She soon gave up resisting.”
The court heard the second victim came forward in December 2015 and said she too had been sexually molested by him. Thomas told the jurors the women were “compulsive liars.” He denied ever being alone with either of the girls.
In an impact statement the rape victim told how her education had suffered as she had been unable to concentrate on her studies because of what had been happening to her but was trying to better herself. She has been left suffering from anxiety and said, “I never go out on my own, I’m too scared in case I see him. If I did I would not stop running.”
Sarah Holt, defending, said: “He maintains his innocence in relation to all the charges.” She said he is in poor health and has been diagnosed with various medical conditions including a life-limiting illness. Miss Holt added that he had never been in custody before, even on remand.
The judge imposed an additional 12-month licence on Thomas, ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Thomas, who did not qualify for legal aid, had to pay for his own defence and today the judge ordered him to pay £2,000 towards the prosecution costs within 14 days.
Wirral, UK
A perverted bus driver has been jailed after downloading horrific child abuse videos
Philip Davidson, a father-of-two, used search terms such as "baby rape"
BY JULIA ROBERTS
A perverted bus driver who downloaded almost 108 hours of horrific child abuse movies has been jailed for 16 months.
Father of two Philip Davidson, who also worked as a part-time wedding photographer in Medway, used search terms such as 'baby rape' and to find the images.
A court heard his 'collection' of 527 movies depicted children as young as 18 months old being subjected to the most serious of sexual acts, including bondage and even involving a dog.
Police established those categorised at the most serious level would take a staggering three-and-a-half days to view end-to-end, with those in the two lower categories lasting just under 24 hours in total.
Twisted Davidson, who also worked as a part-time wedding photographer until his arrest, downloaded the deviant material while his own children were in the family home in Rochester. He later claimed he gained relief from his own depression by seeing 'worse pain' inflicted in the imagery.
At Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday (September 28), the 39-year-old was told the offences of possessing indecent images of children and extreme pornography were so serious that immediate imprisonment was inevitable.
"Those who commit offences such as these do not take account of the fact there are real children being subjected to real abuse in these images," said Judge Adele Williams. "While there are those such as you who are prepared to possess such images this dreadful practice will continue to exist.
"Your offending is very serious because of the number of images and because of their extreme nature. "The search terms you were using can leave no doubt about the sort of images you were seeking. Some of them were babies."
Davidson, now said to be going through divorce proceedings and living alone in a one-bedroom flat, sat in the dock crying.
The court heard he initially denied downloading any indecent images when police arrived at his home with a search warrant six days before Christmas last year.
His wife and children were all present.
But prosecutor Ben Orwin said a very quick search of his three laptops revealed the horrific content. "It was of an extremely graphic nature of sexual abuse of very young children. One movie involved a dog and in a category B image the victim was aged between 18 months and two years," he told the court.
"Search terms used referred to 3 y/os, kiddies, babies, baby rape, etc. The prosecution say this highlights the defendant has deliberately and systematically sought out the most extreme forms of sexual abuse of very young children."
The court was told Davidson was suffering from depression when he downloaded the movies over two years. He had developed a fear of cancer after both his parents and grandmother died from the disease, and his wife was diagnosed with a rare illness said to decompress the skull and spine.
'A broken man'
Dee Connolly, defending, said Davidson had sought psychotherapy since his arrest but his life was now 'in tatters', having lost his job, marriage and previous good character. "He is very much isolated and feels great shame and remorse. He stands before you a broken man," she added.
Davidson must sign on the sex offenders' register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years. He is also barred indefinitely from working with children and vulnerable adults.
Medway, UK
‘Hunted’ paedophile escapes jail
By Farnham Herald in Local People
AN Alton man has been given a suspended prison sentence after grooming what he believed to be under-age girls.
Mark Gaudion, 55, admitted two charges of attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and one count of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, after being stung by vigilante paedophile hunters.
On September 22, Gaudion was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of community payback. He was also put on the sex offenders’ register and is subject to a sexual-harm prevention order.
Winchester Crown Court heard that Gaudion had made contact with the profile of a teenage girl called “Becksy Baby” on the online-dating website Waplog.
But “Becksy”, who was said to be 14, was actually a profile created by vigilante group Predator Hunters.
Glasgow man convicted of child sexual abuse
BY MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
GLASGOW – A Glasgow man was convicted Sept. 22 by a Barren County jury of sexual abuse, with a recommended total sentence of 10 years.
Ronnie “Redd” Wayne Shirley, 48, was accused of touching the private parts of a girl younger than 12 with whom he was acquainted in June last year. The child had reported the incidents to her mother and her grandmother, according to court documents. No penetration was alleged.
He was arrested June 26, 2016, was indicted in September, and pleaded not guilty Jan. 3.
The two-day trial ended Sept. 22 after the testimony of more than a dozen witnesses with the jury's finding that he was guilty of two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, victim under 12 years of age. The jury also convicted him of fourth-degree assault of an adult woman, a misdemeanor, and of being a second-degree persistent felony offender. The PFO charge was based on Shirley's 2007 conviction for first-degree possession of a controlled substance (cocaine).
Commonwealth's Attorney John Gardner said the second-degree PFO conviction increased the penalty one class degree, so instead of being a potential Class C felony with a sentence range of five to 10 years, the sexual abuse charges were considered as Class B felonies, which are punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison.
The jurors recommended 10 years each – the minimum with the PFO consideration added – for each of the sexual abuse counts, to be served concurrently, and 12 months for the assault charge.
Alexander had ordered earlier in the month that the girl could testify via recorded video rather than in person during the trial, granting a motion from the Commonwealth to shield her from that experience.
Also earlier in September, an agreement had been reached between the parties and approved by the judge that changed one count from the original indictment to sexual abuse making that two counts, with another already on the indictment for that – rather than sodomy, because what was then still the alleged inappropriate sexual contact between the defendant and victim would not meet part of the statutory definition required for the sodomy charge.
The parties also agreed to try separately at a date to be set in the future what had been another count in the indictment – second-degree criminal abuse, child 12 or under.
Shirley is represented by attorney Lucrecia Hudson. His final sentencing in this case is scheduled for Dec. 11 in Barren Circuit Court.
“The Commonwealth was pleased the jury returned a guilty verdict on all charges against the Defendant,” Gardner told the Glasgow Daily Times. “After several hours of deliberation, the jury reached a just resolution in this case.”
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